Emma Willis opens up on tough health battle and 'panic' after major heart surgery

Emma Willis returns to screens just weeks after undergoing heart surgery to fix a hole in her heart - and she admits feeling anxious in the aftermath of her operation.

The presenter recently revealed on Instagram that she had unknowingly been living with a hole in her heart since birth. “It’s really weird to live with something in our body that we don’t know about,” Emma Willis says. But she reassures her fans, adding: “It’s fixed so I’m good and there’s no physical pain.”

Still the emotional aftermath has been tougher to heal. “I have a lot of health anxiety,” she says. “So I’m always checking. Every time my heart flutters or feels strange, I panic.”

At the same time, she credits her attentiveness to her body for eventually helping her spot the issue. “I’m glad I eventually discovered it,” she says.

While Emma and her hubby Matt Willis' careers are thriving, they always prioritise their marriage, alongside raising their three children – Isabelle, 15, Ace, 13, and nine-year-old Trixie. “We go on date nights all the time because we know how important it is for our marriage,” Matt says.

And if they had to choose, they’d happily trade a fancy dinner for a therapy session. “Nothing’s been more important than going to therapy together,” Matt says. “It’s allowed us to really see each other. We never row – it’s been 20 years.”

Now the pair are sharing their therapy journey with the nation through their new BBC One show Change Your Mind, Change Your Life, where they team up with leading therapists – Owen O’Kane, Julia Samuel MBE, Professor Steve Peters and Dr Fatoumata Jatta – to follow Brits facing everyday challenges, from grief to anxiety, as they try to transform their lives with therapy.

Emma, 49, and Matt, 42, leave each participant with an expert, checking in between sessions to offer support. “The duty of care on the show is next level,” Emma says.

“Our job is to see them along the way, when they’ve had time to reflect and decompress. But there is a huge care team around the participants, not just the therapists.”

In 2023, Matt opened up in a TV documentary about his battles with alcohol and drugs, which remain one of the reasons he’s diligent about his mental health.

Over the years, he’s gathered a toolkit of strategies. “He’s a master of mental health and wellbeing,” says Emma. “He’s done and tried it all.” But therapy wasn’t always easy for him to talk about.

“I’ve had a lot of therapy but, for a long time, I didn’t really mention anything about it,” Matt says. “Because I knew there was a stigma attached. But I’ve had such incredible experiences with it.”

Even Emma once resisted the idea. “I was that person saying, ‘I don’t need therapy.’ I didn’t feel like I needed it,” she says. “I didn’t realise I had anxiety until we went to therapy.

When I mentioned Matt playfully calling me a control freak, the therapist said, ‘No, that’s anxiety.’ So, with that, you need to be across everything because of an inner fear. That completely changed how I saw myself.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.